Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Ho Hum

The past few days have been kind of status quo. I am here and I am plugging along but my head is somewhat in a fog... one that I can't shake.

Chase is doing well with the night sleeping. He goes down at 7 and is up at 6... I wish he would sleep until 7, or at least 6:30 but we are still tweaking the bed time to try to figure that out. The day napping is still as troublesome as ever. On Sunday he slept for an hour and half... solid... no waking. We chalked it up to a fluke. Then he slept for an hour and I actually had to wake him as not to interfere with bed time. Ok, 2 flukes in one day... my hopes rise... maybe we have turned a corner. Monday... first nap - 35 min. second nap - 40 min. third nap (necessary when sleeping this little) - 0. I want to pull my hair out. I flip flop daily on whether this is ok or not... does he need more sleep? Maybe he is just a short napper ('snapper' as Marc Weissbluth puts it). This is fine, I can handle a snapper. Gack, I need him to sleep longer. More times than not, I get frustrated with him for not napping longer when he is clearly tired... which frustration towards a 9 month old is completely and absolutely fruitless. It only makes me feel like a crappy mom and low down human being. I then convince myself that he just doesn't need the sleep and I become cheerful bouncy mom doing her best to make it work... and it does for a time. Until the day comes (oddly enough, it seems to be every 3rd day) when I. just. need. a. break. I wish, pray, will, beg, bribe him to stay down longer than 30 minutes to no avail. Then back to square one... frustration, crappy mom, convince, bouncy, 3rd day. Vicious cycle.

I am going to try another book... I am just waiting for our library to get it from another branch... spending extra $$ isn't really in the budget right now. My sanity or a gallon of gas... the gas wins out. Hopefully this book will have some insight into the napping situation.

Speaking of the budget... God really knew what he was doing when he put the decision to move before us. This is the last month that we could have stayed here without going into extreme debt. Moving to Hagerstown really will save us from financial disaster (well further financial disaster ;~) A few months ago I was chatting with my dad about Adam and I's finances (he tends to be our guru ;~) and I kind of let it slip out that they only reason I am able to stay home is because mom died. Not that my dad wasn't aware of this but I never really vocalized it before. It seems so strange that I get to have my dream of being a SAHM because my mom died. I mean, I don't really know how life would have gone if she was alive but for present day hindsight... her death afforded me this opportunity. Not that I wouldn't trade being a SAHM for my mother back... I would in a heartbeat but just seeing some of God's great plan... no matter how sad, wows me. It reminds me how small I truly am. This isn't the only instance either... when Adam and I got married I was supposed to move to IN with him for his final year of law school. When it came time, we decided that I should stay home and keep my job so we had steady income. With that plan, I would be moving back into my parents home (something I am apparently proficient at ;~) That was in Aug 2004. My mom died in Nov 2004. Had I moved I would have 1. missed out on those 3-4 months and 2. missed being with her that Sat as she entered the hospital. I hated living apart from Adam but I am damn sure I would have hated missing that time more and for the rest of my life. God's plan for us amazed me then and it amazes me now. I truly can't wait to see what is in store for the future.

9 comments:

Johnnie Avocado said...

As far as baby sleeping, it took a while but we worked on things that Frodo likes and made him comfortable.... for example....Frodo has to have a nightlight on at night to sleep well.

We also learned that during day naps...he wants the shades down, and once he falls asleep...we remove his favorite toys from the bed and his sight inside his room. We found that if he woke up drowsy and saw his favorite stuff...he felt obligated to play with them. He also has to have a blanket to hold onto.

The other thing is after he falls asleep during the day, we put in a fresh drink, so when he rolls over, he has something to quench his thirst and help him stay relaxed. Just some ideas.

emily ebeling said...

hi! my name is Emily, I am a good friend of Diana and Nick and Sam- I saw that you comment on their blog a lot, so I thought I'd check yours out :)
Sorry to hear about the naptime woes- I really haven't experienced those yet, but from what I know of my 11 neices and nephews, some just nap better than others- but the one's that were most difficult you had to be REALLY consistent with- exact same time to eat, to play, to read, to sleep, so that they knew what to expect as the day went along.
Dunno if this will help, but I will pray that this improves for you- You sound SO frustrated!!!

Anonymous said...

Shyann sleeps only about 45-1 hour in morning and only 35-45 mins in afternoon. She is so high maintenance..lol..the room has to be dark and quiet. I had to go out and buy dark curtains just so the light wouldn't come in...lol

The only time she sleeps really good is at night when the sky is dark and no light! Than she will sleep 7-7am on weekends and during the week I wake her up at 6:30 to go to the sitters.

So maybe this is just what he wants to sleep, is he cranky after his naps?

-Jess

LoveLladro said...

johnnie - we do the nightlight thing, and the room darkening, and the 'lovey' in the crib, and the no toys in the crib... everything put the drink (which would end up on the mattress because my son thinks a bottle is a toy). thanks for the ideas though... we are still plugging along.

emily - welcome! thanks for commenting! 11 neices and nephews... WOW! nice big family! congrats on your little bundle... for all my frustration, it is an amazing experience ;~) we have definitely done the consistency thing (and continue to... with the exception of lunch with a friend today ;~). the idea of going down for a nap is fine with him... the idea of staying down, not so much. hopefully the next book will have alternate ideas ;~)

jessica - first... HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY to Shyann! ok, onto crazy baby... i would be happy with the 30 min sleeping (and am every 3rd day) but i just have this gut feeling that he isn't getting enough sleep. he is pleasant enough but he seems so sleepy and tired all the time.

JenniferW said...

I feel you on the short naps...still. The book I read was great, in theory...loved what she had to say...did us no good on getting him to fall asleep without being held.

I did, however, learn (not from the book, but from close observation)that if I stay away from dairy, Ethan wakes up only twice at night. If I eat dairy, he's up every hour and a half :-/

Ah well. We'll figure this out eventually! Hang in there...you're doing a great job!

Maybe Chase and Ethan just need to spend more time with Anna...best napper ever!!!!!

kathi said...

I'm so glad he's sleeping! I never really had that probelm, both of mine were sleeping through the night before we left the hospital.

Catching up here. Loved the pictures of the baptism, and your 5 quirks, we have a few that are in common with the wallets and contents from our moms. And the post about being able to stay home because of your moms passing brought tears. I understand how you feel so well. Big hug hon.

AmyJean {Relentless Bride®} said...

I think with age, i also realized that GOD works in miraculous ways. And in every prayer he does give us answers, whether we really choose to see them or not. I don't believe in coincidence, Everything happens for a reason and with that, I think just one more piece in HIS master plan...I love your outlook on how much you cherish your memories, find gratitude in the little things and really treasure your present and future moments with your family. I'll have to come see you up in Htown, but until then... give the little one lots and lots of kisses from me! :)

Michelle said...

Hope things are going better with the nap thing. I didn't have trouble with my kids during nap time until they were toddlers. And by that time it became an obedience issue, and I could talk to them about it.

I totally agree with you on him needing the sleep. I can't imagine that he has "outgrown" his naps. Have you talked to his pediatrician about it, and if so what did he/she say?

Keep hangin' in there!!

LoveLladro said...

jenn - isn't she a great sleeper!

kathi - how great to have them sleeping from the start! i am going to pay better attention with the next one!

amy jean - i showered him with kisses (and a few tickles) from you!

michelle - she says the half hour is fine... i am just not sure i believe her yet ;~)